22: Stop Treating Your Google Business Profile Like a Listing

If you set up your Google Business Profile and haven't touched it since, this episode is for you.A lot of business owners think of their Google Business Profile as a directory listing. Something you fill out once and forget. But if you're a local business, it's one of the most powerful (and free) visibility tools you have. The catch? It only works if you treat it like the strategy it actually is.In this episode, I'm chatting about  how your Google Business Profile fits into your broader local visibility strategy and why what happens after someone finds you matters just as much as getting found in the first place.What you'll learn in this episode:Why your Google Business Profile is often a customer's very first impression of your business before your website, before social mediaThe local visibility ecosystem: how Google reads your profile as one signal among manyWhat "optimized" actually means (and the high-leverage moves most local businesses skip)Why reviews are a ranking factor, not just a reputation tool and why responding to them matters as much as collecting themThe message consistency gap that causes local businesses to lose leads even when their profile is doing its jobStats mentioned in this episode:Nearly 46% of all Google searches have local intentBusinesses with optimized Google Business Profiles attract up to 70% more visits than those without oneOver 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendationsResources + links:Is your website ready to convert the traffic your Google profile sends it? I can audit your homepage and one other page for maximum conversion: lindsaysmithcreative.ca/auditThis episode was mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio.